Matching Up: Auburn vs. No. 2 LSU

Onterio McCalebb tries to get to the second level in Auburn's 45-10 loss to LSU in Baton Rouge last season. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Media Relations)

AUBURN, Alabama -- An SEC West matchup with plenty of history renews its rivalry with two programs in very different places at the start of 2012.

Ranked No. 2 in the nation, LSU (3-0) has rolled through the early portion of its schedule, a string of unqualified opponents that have allowed inexperienced starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger to get comfortable before he hits the meat of the SEC schedule.

On the flip side, Auburn (1-2) has struggled mightily in its first three games, especially in the second half and fourth quarter. Auburn gave up a 19-16 fourth-quarter lead to Clemson, allowed Mississippi State to take over in the third quarter and nearly let Louisiana-Monroe come up with its second straight comeback victory last Saturday.

Here's the weekly look at the matchups.

WHEN AUBURN RUNS

Auburn's running game made some big strides on Saturday. Louisiana-Monroe may not be an SEC opponent, but the Warhawks finished eighth in the entire country in 2011 in rush defense and shut down Arkansas star Knile Davis the week before. Against that unit, Auburn racked up 255 yards rushing behind Onterio McCalebb and Tre Mason. On the other hand, LSU's defense ranks fourth in the country against the run, giving up only 47 yards per game. With plenty of secondary players who aren't afraid to get to the line of scrimmage and help in run support, and Mississippi State used partially the same formula to close down Auburn's running game two weeks ago. Edge: LSU.

WHEN LSU RUNS

LSU will be without the services of running back Alfred Blue, who could miss a couple of weeks with a knee injury, but Kenny Hilliard leads a deep backfield that should have no problem filling in for Blue. With Hilliard (8.2 yards per carry, six touchdowns) leading the way, LSU ranks 13th in the country and first in the SEC at 269.33 yards per game. Marred by poor tackling and a lack of plays from the middle of the defense -- four defensive tackles have a grand total of 19 tackles so far -- Auburn's run defense has been its weakest link, giving up 217 yards per game. Edge: LSU.

WHEN AUBURN THROWS

Given short, high-percentage throws early, Kiehl Frazier turned in a solid first half against Louisiana-Monroe, but he struggled in the second half, going 0-for-5 after an early third-down completion to Emory Blake, and he's still completing only a tick over 50 percent of his throws. LSU's secondary is arguably the best in the country and ranks 16th in the country in pass efficiency defense. Right now, LSU only has four sacks, but a young group of tackles in Greg Robinson, Avery Young, and Patrick Miller that has played solid football so far face their toughest test of the season in possible first-rounders Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery. Edge: LSU.

WHEN LSU THROWS

Auburn's much-maligned secondary has actually done a better job of limiting the long ball this season. After facing three solid passing offenses, the longest pass Auburn has allowed is 32 yards. Where Auburn has struggled is in breaking up the short throws; opponents are completing 65.18 percent. First-year starter Zach Mettenberger has been remarkably efficient, completing 72.73 percent of his throws, and he's got talented targets led by Odell Beckham, Jr., and Jarvis Landry. What will be key, as always, is whether or not Corey Lemonier and Dee Ford, who have combined for five sacks and seven hurries, can get home on the pass rush. Edge: LSU.

WHEN THE SPECIALISTS EMERGE

Under the direction of coordinator Jay Boulware, Auburn's special teams are having another great year. So far, kicker Cody Parkey is 6-for-6, Auburn leads the SEC in both kickoff coverage and kickoff returns, punter Steven Clark has allowed just one return all season and a hustling kick blocking unit has already gotten to three field goals. The only team in the SEC that can match that kind of production, though, is LSU, a team that features otherworldly punter Brad Wing (48.6 average), steady kicker Drew Alleman (7-for-8), a punt return unit that has already gotten Beckham, Jr., to the house and an emerging kickoff return man in Michael Ford. Edge: Push.

MOMENTUM

Able to weather the loss of 11 players to either injury, suspension or dismissal since the start of fall camp, LSU has a deep, talented team that looks poised to make another run at the national championship this season. Auburn, believe it or not, made some strides last Saturday, especially in the run game, but it's still a developing team that has struggled in the early-going. Edge: LSU.

KEY MATCHUP: AUBURN'S OFFENSIVE LINE VS. LSU'S FRONT SEVEN

With a young quarterback who still looks uncomfortable in the pocket, Auburn's offense is highly dependent on the running game to generate offense. As mentioned above, the offensive line made some big strides last weekend against a Louisiana-Monroe defense that has traditionally been very strong against the run, but LSU's defense is another story altogether. If Auburn's offense is going to move the ball at all on Saturday, Auburn's offensive line has to give running backs Tre Mason, Onterio McCalebb and Mike Blakely some creases on Saturday.